Golden Gate Fields Racetrack Betting

Located between Albany and Berkeley, California, Golden Gate Fields is commonly referred to as being located in the San Francisco Bay area and is the only major racetrack in northern California following the 2008 closing of Bay Meadows. While the track is decidedly less prestigious than the major venues of Santa Anita and Del Mar in southern California, Golden Gate Fields is home to several significant races and offers a good betting product on claiming and allowance events throughout the year.

Golden Gate Fields Entries

With so many opportunities to wager on Golden Gate throughout the year, bettors are well-advised to take advantage of a trusted online racebook in order to avoid missing any action. In fact, bettors are better positioned in today’s online betting market to take advantage of loyalty programs, rebates and bonus offers from the following recommended racebooks.

Currently, Golden Gate hosts five graded stakes races throughout the year, each of which are grade 3 events. The El Camino Real Derby, the San Franciso Mile, the Berkeley Handicap, the All American Stakes and the Golden Gate Fields Turf. Of these events, the El Camino Real Derby usually garners the most interest as it is a minor prep for the Kentucky Derby. To date, no winner of the El Camino Real has won the Kentucky Derby, but 1994 winner Tabasco Cat did go on to win the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. 1985 winner Tank’s Prospect and 1986 winner Snow Chief also went on to win the Preakness Stakes following their El Camino real triumphs.

Golden Gate Fields Picks

One of the few remaining synthetic racing surfaces in North American, Golden Gate also features turf racing throughout the year and provides ample opportunities to take advantage of basic handicapping nuances. Specifically, horses that fare well on synthetic racing surfaces tend to be specialists. Thus, many horses shipping in from conventional dirt racing surfaces are at a disadvantage when competing on the synthetic footing.

Turf horses have long proven their ability to adapt to a synthetic track. Often turf horses shipping in from the more competitive southern California circuit are well-spotted when taking to the Golden Gate turf or main track against less talented rivals.

As the major racing events on the Golden Gate calendar draw closer, check out our expert picks at canadasportsbetting. Synthetic racing surfaces traditionally produce more narrow margins of victory, making many of the Golden Gate races a mad dash for the wire, and a track capable of lining a player’s pockets.

Golden Gate Fields Race Results

From John Henry to Lost in the Fog to Shared Belief, a long list of champion racehorses have raced at Golden Gate Fields. In recent years, both Lost in the Fog and Shared Belief were based at the track before their untimely deaths. Lost in the Fog was considered America’s best sprinter in 2005 and Shared Belief was viewed as the best horse in training before suffering his first loss in the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

If there is a two year-old stakes race on the west coast, it's a safe assumption Bob Baffert will be training a top contender. This is certainly the case Sat, Nov.17 at Del Mar as the white-haired wizard will send a pair of live shots to post in the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes.

The Grade 3 Commonwealth Stakes Sat, Nov.10 at Churchill Downs may not offer the appeal of the full slate of Breeders' Cup races held under the twin spires a week ago, but it's not a bad consolation prize.

Former Daily Racing Form publisher and notable horse racing advocate Steven Crist told me recently that the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint is the toughest race on the card year after year. "You usually have to go seven deep and can still easily miss" he lamented. Good horseplayer and smart man. My advice? Pick a big price and hope for the best.

Historical betting trends don't mean much in horse racing, but one exception to consider in the 2018 Breeders' Cup Turf (Nov.3 at Churchill Downs) is that European-based runners have dominated this event since its inception in 1984.